To further enrich the forms of the second classroom for international students and allow them to personally experience the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture, and to enhance their understanding and love for Chinese culture, on November 23, 2024, the "Ancient Chinese Charm, Seeking the Rituals of the East ” the 2024 fall semester cultural practice for the chinese language training center was successfully held as scheduled at the Huaxia Cultural Experience Pavilion in Jinshitan, Dalian. A total of over 100 international students from various countries and teachers from the Chinese Language Training Center participated.
The event was divided into three parts: visit to the museum exhibition area, learning about Chinese etiquette at the Confucius Classroom, and experiencing intangible cultural heritage skills. In the museum exhibition area, international students not only appreciated exquisite bronze ware, jade ware, gold and silver ware, ceramics, and other achievements of ancient Chinese civilization, but also listened to the stories behind the collections. Through these exquisite collections, they deepened their understanding of Chinese history and culture, especially the history of cultural exchanges and fusion between China and the West.
At the Confucius Classroom, international students dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and immersively received a good teaching of traditional Chinese etiquette. The teacher explained in details to the international students the origin, posture, and appropriate occasions for the cupped hands greeting, demonstrating it personally. The international students studied earnestly and experienced it personally. Through this simple yet solemn etiquette learning, they had a deeper experience of the respect and humility contained in traditional Chinese etiquette culture.
The intangible cultural heritage experience opened a door for international students to understand traditional Chinese craftsmanship. In the rubbing experience area, guided by the teacher, international students went through the steps of placing paper, wetting it, dipping it in vermilion, and pounding it. Although each step was a bit unsmooth and unfamiliar, they enjoyed the process. Looking at their personally created works, the students gained a deeper understanding of ancient Chinese character transmission and artistic expression forms. The lacquer fan-making session was full of creativity and challenges. Students selected their favorite lacquer colors and fan surfaces, blending their artistic talents with Chinese craftsmanship to create unique lacquer fans, interpreting their unique understanding of Chinese culture. In the archery and juggling areas, students drew their bows and held arrows, enjoying the focus and release of power in the process of shooting, and experiencing the wisdom and fun of ancient Chinese sports culture.
This cultural experience event concluded successfully in joy and fulfillment. International students universally expressed that this event provided them with a brand-new understanding and profound feelings about Chinese culture. Fan Yang from Afghanistan said, "I only knew about Chinese culture from books and television before. Today, after personally participating in these activities, I truly appreciate its extensive and profound knowledge and unique charm. I really like such activities and hope to have more opportunities to study in-depth in the future."
Through this event, international students not only gained rich cultural experiences but also added a splash of color to their study life in China, writing a vivid footnote for Sino-foreign cultural exchanges. In the future, the Chinese Language Training Center of SIE will continue to organize such cultural experience activities, providing international students with more platforms to understand Chinese culture, promoting exchanges and fusion between different cultures, and cultivating more talents with cross-cultural communication skills and international visions.
